B VITAMINS – WHAT ARE THEY – DEFICIENCIES SIGNS AND SOLUTIONS
If you are dealing with fatigue, concentration issues, depression, anxiety, memory problems, weakness, skin issues, or other chronic symptoms, it may be time to check for B vitamin deficiencies. B vitamins are a group of vitamins that are critical for your cellular health, brain health, hormonal health, metabolism, skin health, and other areas of your health. B vitamin deficiencies can result in an array of symptoms and serious health issues. Thankfully, it is easy to correct these deficiencies through a nutrient-dense diet and supplementation.
In this article, you will learn what B vitamins and B vitamin deficiencies are. I will go over the potential reasons for vitamin B deficiencies. You will learn the role of each B vitamin. I will discuss testing options for vitamin B deficiencies and share my recommendations for the best vitamin B supplements.
What are B Vitamins?
B vitamins are a group of vitamins that are essential for your cells’ proper functioning. They allow your body to convert food into energy and support your metabolism. They also help to create new blood cells, support cellular especially brain health, and maintain healthy skin among other functions.
B vitamins include thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), vitamin B6, biotin (vitamin B7), folate (vitamin B9), and vitamin B12. Together, these B vitamins are called the vitamin B complex.
B Vitamin Deficiencies
Vitamin B deficiencies are quite common and may develop due to a variety of reasons including a poor diet, poor nutrient absorption, gut infections, various health conditions, stress, alcohol drinking and medication use.
Symptoms of B vitamin deficiencies include fatigue, weakness, confusion, memory problems, behavior changes, depression, mental health issues, pale skin, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and digestion troubles.
Chronic stress can deplete your body of many B vitamins. It’s very important to eat foods rich in B vitamins and also to supplement with good quality B’s.
Let’s discuss all the B Vitamins individually:
B1 – Thiamine (Benfotiamine is the most active form)
Vitamin B1 – It supports your adrenal function and helps to maintain a healthy nervous system. It plays a critical role in the metabolism of carbohydrates into energy and nerve transmission.
A true B1 deficiency is called Beriberi and it is usually caused by poor diet or alcoholism. Symptoms include loss of appetite, weakness, pain in the limbs, shortness of breath, and swollen feet or legs. While Beriberi is quite rare in 1st world countries, you can have subclinical deficiencies that aren’t as severe and go undetected and cause chronic health problems.
Best food sources of thiamine include: fish, chicken, grass-fed meats, sunflower seeds, black beans, dark green vegetables and pasture-raised eggs.
B2 – Riboflavin
Vitamin B2 is also called riboflavin. Riboflavin is critical for your metabolic functions. It is essential for recycling glutathione, a powerful antioxidant in your body. The best form of riboflavin is riboflavin 5’-phosphate sodium (R5P) because it is activated to perform at the highest utilization rate in your body.
Symptoms of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) deficiency include sore throat, redness and swelling of the lining of the mouth and throat, cracks or sores on the outsides of the lips and at the corners of the mouth, inflammation and redness of the tongue, and skin inflammation.
Best food sources of riboflavin include grass-fed raw cheese, almonds, grass-fed beef and lamb, salmon and other wild-caught oily fish, dark green vegetable, and pasture-raised eggs.
B3 – Niacin
It is essential for energy production in your body. There are two forms of niacin: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). Both are necessary for the conversion of dietary fats, proteins, and carbohydrates for energy. Niacin is also necessary for synthesizing starches to be stored in your liver and muscles for energy.
Best food sources of niacin include: tuna, wild-caught salmon, pasture-raised chicken and turkey, liver, and grass-fed beef
B5 – Pantothenic Acid
Vitamin B5 is also known as pantothenic acid. It supports your body through the incorporation into a molecule coenzyme A (CoA) which is essential for energy metabolism and helps protein, fats and carbohydrates being used as fuel sources.
Research has shown that vitamin B5 is critical for skin health, including reducing skin spots, redness, and other signs of aging. It is also essential for the production of sex- and stress-related hormones.
Vitamin B5 deficiency is rare, but may include symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, depression, irritability, vomiting, stomach pains, burning feet, and upper respiratory infections. While a deficiency is rare, many people have subclinical symptoms which lead to lower stress resilience and daytime fatigue and mental lethargy.
Best food sources of vitamin B5 include eggs, avocados, mushrooms, oily wild-caught fish, such as trout and salmon, cabbage and grass-fed raw cheese.
Vitamin B6: Pyridoxine
Vitamin B6 helps to balance sodium and potassium levels. It also allows for healthy red blood cell production. It helps to balance hormonal changes in women and plays a critical role in your immune system function. The best form of supplemental vitamin B6 is pyridoxal 5’phosphate (P5P).
It is also required for your nervous system and mental health. Deficiencies may lead to nerve pain, anemia, skin problems, sores in the mouth, tongue soreness, fatigue, anxiety, depression, cardiovascular issues and brain degeneration.
Best food sources of vitamin B6 include tuna, wild-caught salmon, pasture-raised chicken, beef liver, and chickpeas.
B7 – Biotin
Vitamin B7 is also known as biotin or vitamin H for its role in hair health. Vitamin B7 cannot be synthesized by human cells, but it is produced by bacteria in the body, and it is present in numerous foods.
Biotin is critical for adrenal function, a healthy nervous system, and proper metabolic processes. It is important for healthy hair, skin, and nails, and is often called the ‘beauty vitamin’ because of that. It helps to regulate blood sugar level and helps the growing baby during pregnancy.
Signs of overt biotin deficiency include hair loss and a characteristic scaly red rash in the face (around the eyes, nose, mouth), and in the genital area. Neurologic symptoms in adults have included depression, lethargy, hallucination, numbness and tingling of the extremities, and ataxia
Best food sources of biotin include wild-caught fish, organ meats, nuts and seeds, and pasture-raised eggs.
B9 – Folate
Vitamin B9 is also called folate. Its bioactive forms include folinic acid, calcium folinate, and methyl-folate. Never buy folic acid as a source of vitamin B9, as synthetic folic acid is not natural, can be toxic, and is not effective for those with MTHFR gene mutations.
Folate deficiency is one of the most common vitamin deficiencies due to intestinal disorders, food choices, food processing, and MTHFR mutations. Best food sources of folate include: asparagus, sprouting broccoli, spinach, avocados, pasture-raised eggs, and liver
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is critical for healthy nerve function, cardiovascular function, sleep, and blood cell formation. When supplementing with B12 always use methylcobalamin, not cyanocobalamin, as methyl-cobalamin is the most bioactive form of supplemental vitamin B12.
Best food sources of vitamin B12 include wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, and pasture-raised eggs. Plant foods do not contain vitamin B12. If you are vegan or vegetarian, supplementing with vitamin B12 is an absolute must.
However, vitamin B12 deficiencies are common among those who eat a diet rich in animal foods as well, making vitamin B12 supplementation important for many people. This is due to issues with low stomach acid that causes poor B12 absorption and/or taking medications that deplete B12 levels.
